Infant seat

ABSTRACT

An infant seat comprising a seat rest, back rest and two side supports and a front post. The front post and the two side supports define grooves for receiving legs of an infant when seated in the infant seat. Bottom surfaces of the groove is elevationally higher than a back portion of the seat rest for leaning the infant against the back rest when placed in the infant seat. Moreover, a pommel or tray may be removably attachable to the front post for further retaining an infant in the infant seat by blocking or preventing the infant from lifting himself or herself out of the infant seat.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

Not Applicable

STATEMENT RE: FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH/DEVELOPMENT

Not Applicable

BACKGROUND

The present invention relates to an infant seat for retaining an infantin an infant seat at a seated position.

Infants do not have the necessary muscles or physical coordination toremain at a seated position. As such, the infant requires support fromall sides when being seated. Otherwise, the infant may fall rearwardhitting his/her head on the ground or fall sideways hitting his/her headon the ground. Furthermore, in certain circumstances, the infant mayalso fall forward thereby possibly hitting his or her face on theground. Prior art infant seats have been developed to support the infantat the seated position which may be the preferable orientation duringcertain activities such as feeding.

One such prior art infant seat is disclosed in WO00/65965 ('965application) which is an international application published under thePatent Cooperation Treaty. The '965 application discloses a prior artinfant seat having a back rest, two side supports, a front post and atray which is removably attachable to the two side supports and thefront post. The prior art infant seat supports the infant at the seatedposition. Unfortunately, the prior art infant seat suffers from manydeficiencies. For example, the tray is attached to the infant seat basedupon a three point attachment system. In particular, lateralprotuberances are formed on lateral sides of the tray and a frontprotuberance is formed on a forward portion of the tray. Theseprotuberances are inserted into recesses formed on the two side supportsand the front post of the prior art infant seat. The tray may beattached to the prior art infant seat by inserting the protuberancesinto the recesses and may be retained therein despite the infant'sefforts to remove the tray. Unfortunately, the three point attachmentsystem is unreliable because infants are strong enough to dislodge theprotuberances from the recesses as the protuberances and recesses arefabricated from soft, flexible foam. As such, the child may unexpectedlyremove the tray from the infant seat and fall forward hitting his/herhead or escape out of the prior art infant seat.

BRIEF SUMMARY

An infant seat discussed herein addresses the needs discussed above,below and those known in the art. The infant seat may have a seat rest,back rest, two side supports and a front post. The two side supports,back rest and seat rest define a receiving cavity sized and configuredto comfortably receive an infant therein. The front post and two sidesupports define two grooves which are sized and configured to receivethe legs of the infant. An entrance or upper opening of the grooves issufficiently large to allow a parent to place the infant in the infantseat or remove the infant from the infant seat easily. Bottom surfacesof the grooves are elevationally higher than a rear portion of the seatrest. As such, when the infant is place in the infant seat, the infantis leaned backwards onto the back rest providing support to the child tosupport the child in the seated position. The rearward angle of the seatrest retains the child or infant in the infant seat due to the infant'sinability to lift himself or herself out of the infant seat.

A pommel or tray may be selectively and removably attachable to thefront post. Various structures are disclosed herein for removablyattaching the pommel or tray to the front post. Generally, a male memberis fixedly attached to the pommel or tray. Also, a female member isfixedly attached to the front post of the infant seat. The male andfemale members have interlocking parts that allow the male and femaleparts to be engaged or disengaged. When the tray or pommel is attachedto the front post, the infant is retained in the infant seat because thetray or pommel blocks the infant from lifting himself or herself out theinfant seat. To remove the infant from the infant seat, the tray orpommel may first be disengaged from the front post. The discussion ofthe infant seat herein may describe the tray and pommel as blocking orpreventing the infant from being removed from the infant seat or liftinghimself or herself out of the infant seat when the tray or pommel isattached to the front post of the infant seat. However, such conditionis not necessary. It is contemplated that the infant may be removed fromthe infant seat when the tray or pommel is still attached to the frontpost. In this case, it may just be easier to remove the infant from theinfant seat with the pommel and tray attached to the front post.

In an aspect of the infant seat, a toy may be removably attachable to anupper surface of the tray.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and other features and advantages of the various embodimentsdisclosed herein will be better understood with respect to the followingdescription and drawings, in which like numbers refer to like partsthroughout, and in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an infant seat for supporting an infantat a seated position and a tray which is removably attachable to a frontpost of the infant seat illustrating a first embodiment;

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of FIG. 1 with the tray removedfrom the front post of the infant seat;

FIG. 3 is a front view of the infant seat shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a top view of the front post shown in FIG. 2 illustrating afemale member with rows of teeth;

FIG. 5 is a bottom view of the tray shown in FIG. 2;

FIG. 6 is an enlarged view of a male member with levers having teeth,the teeth of the levers being engageable with the teeth of the femalemember;

FIG. 7 is a bottom view of the infant seat shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 8 is a second embodiment of removably attaching a pommel to thefront post of the infant seat;

FIG. 9 is a cross sectional perspective view of the pommel of a thirdembodiment;

FIG. 10 is a fourth embodiment of removably attaching the pommel to thefront post of the infant seat;

FIG. 11 is a cross sectional perspective view of the pommel shown inFIG. 10;

FIG. 12 is a fifth embodiment of removably attaching the pommel to thefront post of the infant seat;

FIG. 13 is a top perspective view of the fifth embodiment shown in FIG.12;

FIG. 14 is a bottom perspective view of the fifth embodiment shown inFIG. 12 with a flange of a male member inserted into an aperture of thefemale member;

FIG. 15 is a top perspective view of the pommel shown in FIG. 14;

FIG. 16 is a bottom view of the female member with the male memberengaged thereto;

FIG. 17 is a top perspective view of the infant seat illustrating asixth embodiment of removably attaching a tray to the infant seat;

FIG. 18 is a side cross sectional view of the infant seat shown in FIG.17;

FIG. 19 is a side cross sectional view of an infant seat illustrating aseventh embodiment of removably attaching a tray to the infant seat;

FIG. 20 is a side cross sectional view of an infant seat illustrating aneighth embodiment of removably attaching a tray to the infant seat;

FIG. 21 is a perspective view of a ninth embodiment of removablyattaching a pommel to the front post of the infant seat;

FIG. 21 a is an exploded view of the infant seat shown in FIG. 21;

FIG. 21 b is a bottom view of the pommel shown in FIG. 21 a;

FIG. 22 a is an illustration of a user pressing downwardly on the pommelto remove the pommel from the front post of the infant seat;

FIG. 22 b is an illustration of a user rotating the pommel to remove thepommel from the front post of the infant seat;

FIG. 23 is an exploded perspective view of a male member attached to thepommel and a female member attached to the front post;

FIG. 23 a is an alternative embodiment of a lower portion of the malemember shown in FIG. 23;

FIG. 24 is a top perspective view of the female member shown in FIG. 23;

FIG. 25 is a cross-sectional side view of an upwardly angled uppersurface of a hook and an upwardly angled lower surface of a protrusion;

FIG. 26 is a bottom perspective view of a locking ring shown in FIG. 23;

FIG. 27 is a side exploded view of the female member and the lockingring;

FIG. 28 is a bottom perspective view of the female member;

FIG. 29 is a bottom perspective view of the female member engaged to thelocking ring;

FIG. 30 is an exploded perspective view of the a tenth embodiment ofremovably attaching a tray to the front post of the infant seat;

FIG. 31 is an enlarged perspective view of the front post and a femalemember shown in FIG. 30;

FIG. 32 is a bottom perspective view of the tray shown in FIG. 30illustrating a male member;

FIG. 32A is a cross sectional view of 32;

FIG. 33 illustrates a lever pivotable with respect to a base portion;

FIG. 34 is an exploded perspective view of a toy removably attachable tothe tray;

FIG. 35 is an exploded perspective view of the tray with inserts;

FIG. 36 is a perspective view of toys attached to the tray; and

FIG. 37 is a perspective view attaching the toy to the tray via asuction cup.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring now to the drawings which are for the purpose of illustratingthe preferred embodiments of the infant seat and not for the purpose oflimiting the same, FIG. 1 illustrates an infant seat 10 for supportingan infant 12 at the seated position and for retaining the infant 12 inthe infant seat 10. Infants 12 do not have developed muscles and havenot yet learned how to stabilize themselves in the seated position (seeFIG. 1). Rather, infants 12 when placed in the seated position tend tofall over to their sides or backwards onto their head. In certaincircumstances, it is desirable for the infants 12 to be supported at theseated position. By way of example and not limitation, the seatedposition is the preferred orientation when the parent is feeding theinfant 12. Moreover, due to the short attention span of the infant 12,it is also desirable to retain the infant 12 in the infant seat 10 inthe seated position to focus the infant's attention at certain timessuch as during the feeding process. The infant 12 may move around andmay be distracted from other objects and events occurring around theinfant 12. Nonetheless, the parent must feed the infant 12 and attemptto maintain the attention of the infant 12 during the feeding process.Beneficially, the infant seat 10 may support the infant 12 in the seatedposition and retain the infant 12 in the infant seat 10 at the seatedposition.

By way of example and not limitation, as shown in FIG. 2, the infantseat 10 may comprise a seat rest 14, back rest 16, two side supports 18and a front post 20. The seat rest 14 may provide an upper surface 22upon which the infant 12 may be seated. The upper surface 22 of the seatrest 14 may be sized and configured to receive the buttocks of theinfant 12. Preferably the upper surface 22 of the seat rest 14 may havea curvilinear configuration so as to comfortably receive the buttocks ofthe infant 12. In this manner, the infant 12 will not be distractedwhile seated in the infant seat 10 due to the comfort level of theinfant seat 10. The back rest 16 may be attached to the seat rest 14 andextend vertically upward so as to support the lower back and/or,preferably, the upper back of the infant 12. The front surface 24 of theback rest 16 may be curvilinearly joined to the seat rest 14 and extendsubstantially vertically upward so as to support the infant 12 to theseated position.

The two side supports 18 may be attached to the seat rest 14 and alsothe back rest 16 on lateral sides thereof. The side supports 18 may alsobe joined to the seat rest 14 in a curvilinear fashion and extendvertically upward. The two side supports 18 may also be curvilinearlyjoined to the back rest 16. The front post 20 may extend verticallyupward from a front portion 26 (see FIG. 3) of the seat rest 14 and maybe joined in a curvilinear fashion to the seat rest 14. As shown in FIG.3, the front portion 26 of the seat rest 14, front post 20 and the twoside supports 18 define two grooves 28 which may be sized and configuredto comfortably receive legs 30 (see FIG. 1) of the infant 12 when theinfant 12 is seated in the infant seat 10.

The seat rest 14, back rest 16, two side supports 18 may define a cavityhaving a bulbous configuration which cooperates with each other so as tocomfortably receive the buttocks, legs 30 and back of the infant 12. Asshown in FIG. 2, the upper surfaces 32, 34 of the back rest 16 and twoside supports 18 may have a sloping configuration with an apex 36terminating at a medial portion of the back rest 16. Upper surfaces 34of the two side supports 18 are preferably sized, configured andpositioned so as to support the infant's elbows and arms when the infant12 is seated in the infant seat 10, as shown in FIG. 1.

The front portion 26 (see FIG. 3) of the seat rest 14 may beelevationally higher than a rear portion 38 (see FIG. 2) of the seatrest 14. Accordingly, when the infant 12 is seated in the infant seat10, the infant 12 is leaned backwards with his/her thighs raised upwardsabove the infant's buttocks. Due to the undeveloped muscles of theinfant 12 and the infant's inability to coordinate his/her movements,the infant 12 will have a difficult time raising himself or herself outof the infant seat 10. As such, the infant 12 is retained in the infantseat 10. Preferably, the seat rest 14 is angled between about fifteendegrees and forty five degrees and is preferably angled at about athirty three degree slope.

The seat rest 14, back rest 16, two side supports 18 and front post 20may be fabricated from a soft material such as polyurethane, rubber orother compliant material. The seat rest 14, back rest 16, two sidesupports 18 and front post 20 may collectively define a base 40 (seeFIG. 1) of the infant seat 10. The base 40 of the infant seat 10, asshown in FIGS. 7, 18, 19 and 20, may have a hollow cavity 42 with anouter peripheral support member 44. The outer peripheral support member44 may have a plurality of webs 46 (see FIG. 7) which interconnect theouter peripheral support member 44 and the seat rest 14. The webs 46 mayextend to a lower surface 48 (see FIGS. 1 and 18) of the outerperipheral support member 44 so as to provide additional support to theinfant seat 10.

The infant seat 10 may have a tray 50 (see FIG. 1) or pommel 52 (seeFIG. 8) which is removably attachable to the front post 20 (see FIG. 2).The tray 50 or pommel 52 at least partially extends over the infant'sleg when the tray 50 or pommel 52 is attached to the front post 20 andthe infant 12 is seated in the infant seat 10. In this manner, theinfant 12 is retained in the infant seat 10 because the tray 50 orpommel 52 blocks the infant's access out of the infant seat 10.

As shown in FIGS. 1-6, a tray 50 may be removably attachable to thefront post 20. When the tray 50 is attached to the front post 20, thelateral portions 54 (see FIG. 5) of the tray 50 may extend over thegrooves 28 and the side supports 18. As such, the tray 50 and thegrooves 28 provide an aperture through which the infant's legs 30 arelocked in place to retain the infant 12 in the infant seat 10 at theseated position. The tray 50 may have a flat upper surface 56 with aridge 58 formed around the upper surface 56, a shown in FIG. 1. Theupper surface 56 may be substantially level with the ground so as toallow the parent to rest food and other items on the upper surface 56when feeding the infant 12. If liquid is spilled on the upper surface 56of the tray 50, the ridge 58 holds the fluid and prevents the fluid fromspilling onto the ground or off of the upper surface 56.

The tray 50 may be removably attached to the front post 20 via matingmale and female members 60, 62 (see FIGS. 4 and 5) of a firstembodiment, as shown in FIGS. 2-6. The male member 60 may be secured tothe underside 64 of the tray 50 with screws 66, as shown in FIG. 5. Themale member 60 may have two outwardly biased flexible levers 68. Lateralsides of the levers 68 may have at least one tooth 70 which isengageable with a toothed slot 71 of the female member 62. The levers 68may be squeezed inwardly by depressing distal portions 72 (see FIG. 5)of the lever 68, as shown in FIG. 6. By depressing the levers 68, theteeth 70 of the levers 68 are also inwardly displaced. When the distalends of the levers 68 are released, the teeth 70 and the levers 68 areoutwardly displaced.

The male member 60 may have inwardly directed flanges 74 (see FIGS. 3and 5) which are mateable with outwardly directed flanges 76 (see FIGS.3 and 4) of the female member 62. The outwardly directed flanges 76 ofthe female member 62 may be disposed above an upper surface 78 of thefront post 20. The flanges 76 of the female member 62 and the uppersurface 78 (see FIG. 4) of the front post 20 form slots which mayreceive the flanges 74 of the male member 60 when attaching the tray 50to the infant seat 10, and more particularly, the front post 20, asshown in FIG. 3. When the flange 74 of the male member 60 is insertedinto the slot, the tray 50 may not be lifted upward due to theinterference between the mating flanges 74, 76. The female member 62 maybe molded into the front post 20, glued to the front post 20 orotherwise attached to the front post via any method discussed herein orknown in the art. The female member 62 may be fabricated from a hardmaterial (e.g., plastic).

Also, the female member 62 may have first and second rows of toothedslot 71 which are inwardly oriented toward each other, as shown in FIG.4. The toothed slot 71 of the first and second rows may be sized andconfigured to engage the teeth 70 of the male member levers 68. Inparticular, when the tray 50 is attached to the front post 20, theparent may squeeze the distal portions 72 of the levers 68 therebydisplacing the levers 68 and the respective teeth 70 inwardly. A widthof the male member teeth 70 is now narrower compared to the teeth of thetoothed slot 71 of the female member 62. The teeth 70 of the male member60 levers 68 clear the teeth of the toothed slot 71 of the female member62 thereby allowing the flange 74 of the male member 60 to be insertedinto the slot formed by the flange 76 of the female member 62 and theupper surface 78 of the front post 20. Once the tray 50 is positioned,the distal portions 72 of the levers 68 may be released so as todisplace the teeth 70 of the levers 68 outward and into engagement withthe toothed slot 71 of the female member 62. In this manner, the tray 50is selectively positioned and may not be pushed forward, away from theinfant 12 or pushed rearward, toward the infant 12. The forward/rearwardposition of the tray 50 may be adjusted by disengaging the teeth 70, 71of the male and female members 60, 62 by depressing the distal portions72 of the levers 68 and subsequently engaging the teeth 70 of the levers68 to corresponding toothed slot 71 of the female member 62 by releasingthe levers 68.

In use, the tray 50 may be removed from the front post 20 of the infantseat 10 to allow easy removal of the infant 12 from the infant seat 10.The reason is that when the tray 50 is attached to the front post 20,the parent may not simply lift the infant 12 upward to remove the infant12 from the infant seat 10. Rather, the parent must slide the legs 30 ofthe infant 12 out of the aperture formed by the grooves 28 and the tray50 to remove the infant 12 from the infant seat 10. Since the tray 50 isremovably attachable from the front post 20, the parent may remove thetray 50 from the front post 20 to facilitate removal of the infant 12from the infant seat 10. After the tray 50 is removed, the infant 12 maybe lifted upward for removal from the infant seat 10. In a similarmanner, the tray 50 may be removed from the front post 20 forfacilitating seating of the infant 12 in the infant seat 10.

The infant 12 is retained in the infant seat 10 due to the rearwardangle of the seat rest 14 thereby leaning the infant 12 back onto theback rest 16. Moreover, the infant 12 may be retained in the infant seat10 by attaching the tray 50 to the front post 20. When the tray 50 isattached to the front post 20, the tray 50 extends over the grooves 28.The grooves 28 and the tray 50 form apertures through which the legs 30of the infant 12 are disposed. When the legs 30 of the infant 12 aredisposed in the apertures, the infant 12 may not simply lift himself orherself out of the infant seat 10.

In another aspect, the tray 50 may be replaced with a pommel 52, asshown in FIG. 8. FIG. 8 illustrates a second embodiment of the infantseat 10. The pommel 52 may have a bulbous configuration and a softexterior surface to prevent the infant 12 from hurting himself orherself when grabbing the pommel 52. The pommel 52 may extend laterallyoutward from the front post 20 and be disposed at least partially overthe grooves 28 formed by the front post 20, seat rest 14 and the twoside supports 18. In this manner, the baby when seated in the infantseat 10 may find it difficult to lift himself or herself out of theinfant seat 10 because the space between the pommel 52 and the sidesupports 18 may be less than an outer diameter of the infant's legs 30.More particularly, the pommel 52 may extend laterally outward such thatan outer periphery 80 of the pommel 52 and the two side supports 18define a distance which is less than the outer diameter of the infant'sleg. In this manner, the pommel 52 creates an additional retaining forcewhen the infant 12 attempts to raise himself or herself out of theinfant seat 10. The infant's leg simultaneously contacts the pommel 52and the two side supports 18. Since the space between the pommel 52 andthe two side supports 18 is less than the outer diameter of the infant'sleg, the infant 12 is prevented from escaping out of the infant seat 10.

When the parent desires to remove the infant 12 from the infant seat 10,the pommel 52 may be removed from the front post 20 thereby enlargingthe space between the front post 20 and the two side supports 18. Theparent or caretaker may lift the infant 12 out of the infant seat 10 atthis moment. The pommel 52 shown in FIG. 8 may be removably attachableto the front post 20 in a similar fashion as described in FIGS. 1-6 withmating male and female members 60, 62. The female member 62 may bemolded into the front post 20 as described in relation to FIGS. 1-6.Also, the male member 60 may be molded into the pommel 52.

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of a pommel 52 removably attachable tothe front post 20 illustrating a third embodiment. The pommel 52 isremovably attachable to the front post 20 via a male member 82 attachedto the pommel 52 and a female member 86 attached to the front post 20.The male member 82 may comprise a left lever 84 a and a right lever 84 bwhich are traversable between a relaxed position and a depressedposition. Preferably, the left lever 84 a may have a mirrorconfiguration compared to the right lever 84 b. The left and rightlevers 84 a, 84 b may be outwardly biased and inwardly displaceable bydepressing finger receiving surfaces 88 of the left and right levers 84a, 84 b. Distal ends of the left and right levers 84 a, 84 b may havepawls 90 attached thereto. The pawls 90 may have a beveled surface 92which cooperates with the female member 86 to inwardly displace the leftand right levers 84 a, 84 b when attaching the pommel 52 to the frontpost 20. The pawls 90 may be removably engageable to the female member86.

The female member 86 may have an inverted hat configuration. A cavity100 may be formed at a central portion of the female member 86 which issized and configured to receive the pawls 90 of the left and rightlevers 84 a, 84 b. More particularly, a leading edge 102 of the aperturemay be sized and configured to mate with the beveled surfaces 92 of theleft and right lever 84 a, 84 b pawls 90 when the pommel 52 is beingattached to the female member 86. In the relaxed position, the pawls 90are aligned to the leading edge 102 of the female member 86 aperture.Due to the angle of the beveled surface 92, the levers 84 are inwardlydisplaced when the beveled surfaces 92 contact the leading edge 102 ofthe aperture and the pommel 52 is engaged to the front post 20. As thepommel 52 is pushed into engagement with the front post 20, the pawls 90are contained within the cylindrical portion of the female member 86. Asthe pawls 90 are further inserted into the aperture of the female member86, the lower distal ends 98 of the finger receiving surfaces 88contacts a rim 96 of the female member 86 preventing further insertionof the pawls 90 into the aperture. At about this moment, the pawls 90are displaced outwardly and received into openings defining cam surfaces104. The cam surfaces 104 engage the pawls 90 and the pommel 52 islocked to the front post 20.

To remove the pommel 52 from the front post 20, the parent may inwardlydepress the finger receiving surfaces 88 which disengage the pawls 90from the cam surfaces 104. At this point, the pommel 52 may be liftedout of the aperture of the female member 86 and the pommel 52 isdisengaged and removed from the front post 20.

The parent may place the infant 12 into the infant seat 10 by firstremoving the pommel 52 from the front post 20 by depressing the fingerreceiving surfaces 88 and pulling upward on the pommel 52. Thereafter,the infant 12 is placed in the infant seat 10 and leaned against theback rest 16 in the seated position. Once the infant 12 is in the seatedposition, the parent may attach the pommel 52 to the front post 20. Thedistance between the outer periphery 80 of the pommel 52 and the twoside supports 18 may be less than an outer diameter of the infant's leg30 thereby preventing the infant 12 from pushing himself or herself upout of the infant seat 10 due to the interference between the legs 30 ofthe infant 12 and the pommel 52.

FIGS. 10 and 11 illustrate a fourth embodiment. In particular, a malemember 110 may be fixedly attached to the pommel 112 and may beremovably engageable to a female member 114 fixedly attached to thefront post 20 (see FIG. 2). The male member 110 may have a downwardlyprotruding post 116 (see FIGS. 10 and 11) with a hollow lower cavity 118(see FIG. 11). The downwardly protruding post 116 may have a cylindricalconfiguration and may define a circular wall and a lower distal end 120(see FIG. 11). The hollow lower cavity 118 may define an upper surface122. A compression spring 124 may be fixedly attached to the uppersurface 122 of the hollow lower cavity 118. The downwardly protrudingpost 116 may have at least one tab 126 which extends radially outwardfrom post 116. Preferably, the post 116 may have two tabs 126 onopposing sides thereof.

The female member 114 may have an aperture. The aperture may be definedby a cylindrical wall 127 (see FIG. 11). The cylindrical wall 127 mayhave a slot 128 (see FIG. 10) having a J-configuration. The slot 128 mayhave an entrance portion 130 which extends from a leading edge 132 (seeFIG. 11) of the aperture and a locking portion 134 which hooks upward.The rim 136 of the female member 114 may have a cut out 138 aligned tothe entrance portion 130 of the slot 128 for allowing the tab 126 toenter the entrance portion 130 of the J-configured slot 128. The centerof the aperture may have a raised portion 140 which may be sized andconfigured to receive the spring 124.

To attach the pommel 112 to the front post 20, the post 116 is insertedinto the aperture of the female member 114. The tab 126 is received intothe entrance portion 130 of the slot 128 of the female member 114 viathe cut-out 138 and the spring 124 may press against the raised portion140 of the female member 114. The post 116 is inserted fully into theaperture of the female member 114 then rotated counterclockwise to alignthe tab 126 to locking portion 134 of the slot 128. The spring 124 liftsthe tab 126 into the locking portion 134 of the J-configured slot 128such that the child or infant 12 may not remove the pommel 112 from thefront post 20. To remove the pommel 112 from the front post 20, theparent may push down on the pommel 112 until the tab 126 is releasedfrom the locking portion 134 of the J-configured slot 128. The pommel112 is rotated in the clockwise direction and the tab 126 is aligned tothe entrance portion 130 of the slot 128. The tab 126 traverses throughand out of the entrance portion 130 via the cut out 138 and the post 116is lifted out of the aperture of the female member 114. In this manner,the pommel 112 is removed from the front post 20.

The pommel 112 shown in FIGS. 10 and 11 may extend outward over thegrooves 28 when the pommel 112 is attached to the front post 20 to blockthe infant 12 from standing up out of the infant seat 10. The pommel 112blocks the infant 12 from standing up because a distance between theouter periphery of the pommel 112 and the two side supports 18 may beless than an outer diameter of the legs 30 of the infant 12.

The fourth embodiment of the infant seat 10 was described in a mannerthat counter clockwise rotation of the pommel 112 engaged the pommel 112to the front post 20 and clockwise rotation of the pommel 112 disengagedthe pommel 112 from the front post 20. However, it is also contemplatedthat the structure of the male and female members 110, 114 may bereversed such that the pommel 112 is engageable to the front post 20 viaa clockwise rotation of the pommel 112 and the pommel 112 isdisengageable from the front post 20 via a counter clockwise rotation ofthe pommel 112.

FIGS. 12-16 illustrate a fifth embodiment of removably attaching apommel 154 to the front post 20. As shown, the pommel 154 may beremovably attachable to the front post 20 via mating male and femalemembers 150, 152. The male member 150 may be embedded into the pommel154. Likewise, the female member 152 may be embedded into the front post20. The male member 150 may comprise a plurality of flanges 156vertically and perpendicularly aligned to each other. For example, asshown in FIG. 12, four flanges 156 are perpendicularly aligned to eachother forming a cross configuration. Other angular orientations of theflanges 156 are also contemplated such as eight flanges 156 at fortyfive degrees with respect to each other. Additionally, it is alsocontemplated that there may be more than four flanges 156 or less thanfour flanges 156. A proximal portion of the flanges 156 may be attachedto the pommel 154 by molding the pommel 154 over the proximal portion ofthe flanges 156. Distal portions of the flanges 156 may have a notch 158and a stop 160. In particular, at least one of the flanges 156 may havea notch 158 formed at a distal portion thereof. Also, at least one ofthe flanges 156 may have a stop 160 formed at a distal portion thereof.Preferably, opposing flanges 156 have notches 158 formed at distalportions thereof, and the second set of opposing flanges 156 have stops160 formed at distal portions thereof. The notches 158 are removablyengageable to a lower plate 162 of the female member 152.

The female member 152 may have a central aperture 164 (see FIG. 13) inwhich the flanges 156 may be inserted. The lower plate 162 may beattached to the distal portion of the central aperture 164. The lowerplate 162 may have a notch 168 for receiving the flange 156 of the malemember 150. To attach the pommel 154 to the front post 20, the distalends of the flanges 156 extend past the lower plate 162 through thenotch 168 of the lower plate 162 until the stop 160 contacts the lowerplate 162 (see FIG. 14). The notches 158 of the flanges 156 are alignedto the lower plate 162. Once the flange notches 158 are aligned to thelower plate 162, the pommel 154 is rotated (see FIGS. 14 and 15) to lockthe pommel 154 to the front post 20, as shown in FIGS. 14-15. The lowerplate 162 is received into the notches 158 of the male member 150 (seeFIG. 16). In this manner, the pommel 154 may not be removed from thefront post 20. The lower plate 162 may have an enlarging thicknessdefining a cam surface wherein the thinnest portion of the lower plate162 is adjacent the notch 158 of the lower plate 162. As the pommel 154is rotated (see FIG. 15), the cam surface frictionally engages the notch158 of the male member 150 (see FIG. 16). Preferably, the notch 158frictionally engages the cam surface when the pommel 154 is rotatedabout 40 degrees, as shown by reference numeral 166 in FIG. 16.

To remove the pommel 154 from the front post 20, the pommel 154 isrotated in the opposite direction. The flange 156 of the male member 150is then aligned to the notch 168 of the lower plate 162. Also, the notch158 of the flange 156 releases the cam surface or the lower plate 162.The male member 150 may now be removed from the female member 152 andthe pommel 154 released from the front post 20.

FIGS. 17 and 18 illustrate a sixth embodiment of removably attaching atray 50 to the infant seat 10. In particular, the tray 50 may have amushroom head type protuberance 170 with a bulbous distal portion 172attached to an underside of the tray 50. As used herein, bulbous maymean round balloon configuration, star shape, box shape or any otherenlarged shaped. The protuberance 170 is receivable into a correspondingcavity 173 formed in the front post 20. The mushroom head typeprotuberance 170 may be compressed such that the mushroom head typeprotuberance 170 may slide into the cavity 173 of the front post 20 andbe engaged thereto. A distal or lower surface of the cavity 173 may havea through hole 174 to allow air to be ejected out of the cavity 42 orintroduced into the cavity 173 when the mushroom head type protuberance170 is inserted into or removed from the cavity 173. In this manner, thecavity 173 does not create any pressure or vacuum when the mushroom headtype protuberance 170 is inserted into or removed from the cavity 173.The protuberance 170 may optionally have a vertical slit 176 whichextends from a distal end of the protuberance 170 and extend upward toassist in inserting and removing the protuberance 170 from the cavity173.

More particularly, the protuberance 170 may be attached to an undersideof the tray 50 or pommel. The protuberance 170 may be sized andconfigured to be mateable with a cavity 173 formed in the front post 20of the infant seat 10. By way of example and not limitation, theprotuberance 170 may have an elongate structure. A distal portion 172 ofthe protuberance 170 may have a bulbous configuration. Similarly, thecavity 173 formed in the front post 20 may have an elongateconfiguration. A distal portion 178 of the cavity 173 may have a matingbulbous configuration. For example, if the bulbous distal portion 172has a box configuration, then the distal portion 178 of the cavity 173may also have a box configuration. To attach the tray 50 to the frontpost 20, the distal portion 172 of the protuberance 170 is aligned to anentrance of the cavity 173. The tray 50 is pushed downward until innerside walls of the cavity 173 apply radial inward forces to the bulbousdistal portion 172 of the protuberance 170. Such radial inward forcesreduce the diameter of the bulbous portion 172 such that the bulbousportion 172 may slide past a neck 180 of the cavity 42. Once the bulbousportion 172 traverses downward past the neck 180 of the cavity 42, thebulbous portion 172 expands to fill the bulbous configured portion 184of the cavity 173.

To remove the tray 50 from the front post 20, the protuberance 170 isremoved from the cavity 173. In particular, the parent may lift the tray50 upward which urges the bulbous distal portion 172 of the protuberance170 upward. The neck 180 of the cavity 173 applies radial inward forceswhich reduces the diameter of the bulbous portion 172 such that thebulbous portion 172 may slide past the neck 180 of the cavity 42. Oncethe bulbous portion 172 traverses upward past the neck 180 of the cavity173, the protuberance 170 may easily be removed from the cavity 173 andthe tray 50 is disengaged from the front post 20.

Under normal usage, the infant 12 should not be able to createsufficient upward force to remove the protuberance 170 from the cavity42 formed in the front post 20. Also, the parent should be able toeasily lift the tray 50 so as to disengage the tray 50 from the infantseat 10.

The amount of force required to insert the protuberance 170 into thecavity 173 and remove the protuberance 170 from the cavity 173 may beincreased or decreased by altering the surface texture, surfacetreatment and type of material for the protuberance 170 and the frontpost 20.

FIG. 19 illustrates a seventh embodiment wherein a tray 50 is removablyattachable to an infant seat 10. In particular, a tapered shaft 190 isfrictionally engageable to a corresponding tapered cavity 192 formed inthe front post 20 to attach the tray 50 to the infant seat 10. The shaft190 may have a reducing diameter starting from a proximal portion of theshaft 190 and ending at a distal portion of the shaft 190. The cavity192 formed in the front post 20 may have an identical configurationcompared to the shaft 190.

To engage the tray 50 to the infant seat 10, the shaft 190 is insertedinto the cavity 192. The outer surface of the shaft 190 begins to engagethe inner surface of the cavity 192. The shaft 190 is fully insertedwhen a stop 194 contacts the upper surface 78 of the front post 20. Whenthe shaft 190 is fully inserted into the cavity 192, the shaft 190 isfrictionally engaged to the cavity 192. An infant 12 seated in theinfant seat 10 is not able to lift the tray 50 up because of thefrictional engagement between the shaft 190 and the cavity 192.Moreover, the infant 12 is not able to push the tray 50 forward or pullthe tray 50 backward because the shaft 190 is fixedly engaged to thetray 50 and frictionally engaged to the cavity 192.

The tray 50 may be removed from the infant seat 10 to assist in theremoval or seating of the infant 12 in the infant seat 10. Inparticular, the parent may lift up the tray 50 overcoming the frictionalengagement between the shaft 190 and the cavity 192. After thefrictional engagement between the shaft 190 and cavity 192 has beenovercome, the parent may remove the tray 50 from the infant seat 10.Although FIG. 19 illustrates a tray 50 which is removably attachable tothe infant seat 10, it is also contemplated that a pommel may beremovably attachable to the infant seat 10 via the structure shown inFIG. 19.

FIG. 20 illustrates an eighth embodiment wherein a tray 50 is removablyattachable via a push button locking mechanism 200. In particular, thetray 50 may be attached to an elongate shaft 202. The elongate shaft 202may have a cam surface 204 positionable adjacent to a push button 206.The push button 206 may comprise a button, spring 208 and a latch 210.The latch 210 is traversable from a retracted position (see FIG. 20) toa release position by depressing the button. When the button isreleased, the latch 210 is traversed from the release position to theretracted position. The latch 210 may be biased toward the retractedposition.

The latch 210 may have a hook configuration. The latch 210 may engagethe cam surface 204 of the elongate shaft 202 when the elongate shaft202 is inserted into a cavity of the front post 20 and the latch 210 istraversed to the retracted position. When the latch 210 engages the camsurface 204, the tray 50 is engaged to the front post 20 and may not beremoved by the infant 12. To remove the tray 50 from the infant seat 10,the parent may depress the button which is preferably positioned out ofthe reach of the infant 12 when the infant 12 is seated in the infantseat 10. For example, the button may be positioned at a lower centralportion of the front post 20. When the button is depressed, the latch210 is traversed to the released position. The parent may lift the tray50 upward and remove the shaft 202 out of the cavity and the tray 50from the infant seat 10. Although FIG. 20 illustrates a tray 50 which isremovably attachable to the infant seat 10, it is also contemplated thata pommel may be removably attachable via the method shown in FIG. 20.Preferably, it is contemplated that the button may be located at anyposition on the infant seat 10 so long as the infant 12 is not able toreach the button when seated in the infant seat 10.

FIGS. 21-29 illustrate a ninth embodiment of releasably attaching thepommel 220 to the front post 20. To engage the pommel 220 to the frontpost 20, the pommel 220 may be molded with a male member 222 (see FIG.21 a) such that the male member 222 is fixedly attached to the pommel220 (see FIGS. 21 a and 23). Also, the front post 20 may be fixedlyattached to a female member 224 (see FIGS. 21 a and 23). The female andmale members 224, 222 may be fixedly attached to the front post 20 andpommel 220 via any method known in the art such as molding, adhesiveconnections, etc. To engage the pommel 220 to the front post 20, themale member 222 may be inserted into the female member 224 (see FIGS. 21a and 23) and pushed downwardly. To disengage the pommel 220 from thefront post 20, the male and female members 222, 224 may be fabricated soas to require one or two motions. By way of example and not limitation,the pommel 220 may be removed from the front post 20 by rotating thepommel 220 counterclockwise (see FIG. 22 b). Alternatively, the male andfemale members 222, 224 may be fabricated so as to require that theparent push down (see FIG. 22 a) and rotate (see FIG. 22 b) the pommel220 counterclockwise to disengage the pommel 220 from the front post 20.

The male member 222 may have an upper portion 226 and a lower portion228, as shown in FIG. 23. The upper portion 226 of the male member 222may be fixedly attached to the pommel 220. By way of example and notlimitation, the pommel 220 may be molded over the upper portion 226. Theupper portion 226 may have a plurality of apertures 230 such that thepommel material is interlocked into the upper portion 226 when thepommel 220 is molded over the upper portion 226. The bottom surface 232of the pommel 220 may have a skirt 234 which may be sized and configuredto receive the front post 20, as shown in FIGS. 21-21 b. The lowerportion 228 of the male member 222 may have a cylindrical configuration(see FIG. 23). The lower portion 228 may comprise opposed inwardlydisplaceable tangs 236. These tangs 236 may be sized and configured tobe insertable into the female member 224 and be engageably removablefrom the female member 224. More particularly, each tang 236 may have abase portion 238 which is attached to the upper portion 226. The tang236 may also define a distal hook 240 having at least one nub 242directed outwardly. Above the hook 240, a neck portion 244 may define areceiving area 246 for receiving a beveled protrusion 248 (FIG. 24) ofthe female member 224 to interlock the male and female members 222, 224.

Referring to FIGS. 23 and 24, the female member 224 may have a centralaperture 250 through which the lower portion 228 of the male member 222may be inserted. The central aperture 250 of the female member 224 mayhave a cylindrical configuration. The beveled protrusion 248 with anangled upper surface 252 may be formed along the inner surface of thecentral aperture 250. The beveled protrusion 248 may be alignable to thetangs 236 when the pommel 220 is being engaged to the front post 20. Asdiscussed above, the pommel bottom surface 232 may have a skirt 234which is formed to have a close fit with the front post 20. If thepommel skirt 234 is angularly misaligned to the front post 20, the tangs236 are not aligned to the beveled protrusion 248. Moreover, the pommel220 would not be engageable with the front post 20 based on a view thatthe skirt 234 of the pommel 220 would interfere with the front post 20.When the skirt 234 of the pommel 220 is aligned to the front post 20would the tangs 236 be aligned to the beveled protrusions 248.

To engage the pommel 220 to the front post 20, the lower portion 228 ofthe male member 222 is inserted into the aperture 250 of the femalemember 226. (See FIG. 23). The skirt 234 of the pommel 220 is aligned tothe front post 20 thereby aligning the tangs 236 to the beveledprotrusions 248. The pommel 220 is then pushed downwardly such that thehooks 240 or distal ends of the tangs 236 (see FIG. 23) would contactthe beveled surface 252 (see FIG. 24) of the beveled protrusion 248. Asthe pommel 220 is further pushed downwardly, the beveled surface 252inwardly displaces the tangs 236 thereby moving the hooks 240 or nubs242 out of the way of the beveled protrusions 248. Before the hooks 240engage the beveled protrusion 248, the bottom surface 232 of the pommel220 may contact the upper surface 78 of the front post 20. To engage thehook 240 to the beveled protrusion 248, it is preferable that the parentor user provide an increased downward push or downward force to engagethe hook 240 to the beveled protrusion 248. When the pommel 220 isengaged to the front post 20, the beveled protrusion 248 may bepositioned within the neck portion 244 of the tang 236. Preferably, anupper surface 254 (see FIG. 23) of the hook 240 and a bottom surface 256(see FIG. 24) of the beveled protrusion 248 have interlocking matingsurfaces or interlocking configurations. For example, the upper surface254 of the hook 240 may be parallel with a transverse plane to a centralaxis 258 (see FIG. 23) of the male member 222. Also, the bottom surface256 of the beveled protrusion 248 may be parallel with a transverseplane to a central axis 260 (see FIG. 23) of the female member 224. Inthis manner, even though the pommel 220 may be pulled upwardly, thebeveled protrusions 248 do not inwardly displace the tangs 236 so as torelease the pommel 220 from the front post 20. More preferably, theupper surface 254 of the hook 240 and the bottom surface 256 of thebeveled protrusion 248 may have interlocking upward configurations asshown in FIG. 25. As such, when the hook 240 is mated to the beveledprotrusion 248, the respective surfaces 254, 256 would interlock. Anyupward force applied to the pommel 220 would force the hook 240 furtherinto the beveled protrusion 248 thereby ensuring engagement between thepommel 220 and the front post 20. When the pommel 220 is engaged to thefront post 20, the beveled protrusion 248 may be positioned within theneck portion 244 of the tang 236.

The pommel 220 may be removed from the front post 20 by rotating thepommel 220 (e.g., 45 degree) with respect to the front post 20, as shownin FIG. 22 b. As discussed above, the skirt 234 of the pommel 220 isgenerally configured to the front post 20. As such, any rotation of thepommel 220 would be resisted by the skirt 234 of the pommel 220.However, the pommel 220 may be manufactured or fabricated from agenerally flexible and resilient material. As such, under sufficientrotational force, the skirt 234 would flex and the pommel 220 may berotated with respect to the front post 20. When the pommel 220 isrotated with respect to the front post 20, the beveled protrusion 248(see FIG. 24) slides or rotates away from the tang 236 (i.e., neckportion 244) (see FIG. 23) and into a slotted portion 262 (see FIG. 23)of the lower portion 228 of the male member 222. The pommel 220 may belifted up so as to slide the beveled protrusion 248 through the slottedportion 262 of the lower portion 228 of the male member 222. The pommel220 is now disengaged from the front post 20. Such disengagementoccurred by the motion of twisting the pommel 220.

Alternatively, the pommel 220 may be removable from the front post 20via two motions, namely, a downward force (see FIG. 22 a) and twistingaction (see FIG. 22 b). For example, the tang 236 may also have a lip264 (see FIG. 23 a) which joins the hook 240 and the neck portion 244,as shown in FIG. 23 a. The lip 264 would interfere with the beveledprotrusion 248 if the pommel 220 was only rotated thus preventing thebeveled protrusion 248 from being aligned to the slotted portion 262 ofthe lower portion 228 of the male member 222. To align the beveledprotrusion 248 to the slotted portion 262, the user must push downwardlyon the pommel 220 such that the beveled protrusion 248 clears the lip264 of the tang 236, as shown by arrow 266 in FIG. 23 a. Now the user orparent may rotate the pommel 220 to align the beveled protrusion 248 tothe slotted portion 262. The pommel 220 may be raised, the beveledprotrusion 248 slid through the slotted portion 262 and the pommel 220is now disengaged from the front post 20.

As discussed above, the female member 224 may be fixedly engaged to thefront post 20 via adhesive, molding or any other method known in theart. One method not known in the art will be described below. By way ofexample and not limitation, the female member 224 may be selectivelyengageable to a locking ring 268 (see FIG. 26). The locking ring 268 maybe molded into the front post 20 and an aperture 270 may be formedthrough the front post 20 extending between the upper surface 78 of thefront post 20 to the locking ring 268, as shown in FIG. 27. The femalemember 224 may have a plurality of flanges 272, as shown in FIG. 28.These flanges 272 may be inserted into the aperture 270 of the frontpost 20. Distal ends 274 of the flanges 272 may have notches 276 formedtherein, as shown in FIG. 28. The notches 276 may be horizontallyaligned to each other.

The locking ring 268 may have a corresponding number of apertures 278 asthere are flanges 272 as shown in FIG. 26. The apertures 278 of thelocking ring 268 may be sized and configured to receive the distal ends274 of the flanges 272. In particular, each aperture 278 may have afirst longer slot 280 which is sized and configured to receive a distalend 274 of the flange 272. As such, the flanges 272 may be aligned andinserted into the first longer slots 280. The flange 272 may also have astop surface 282 (see FIG. 28) which contacts an upper surface 284 (seeFIG. 27) of the locking ring 268. When the stop surface 282 contacts theupper surface 284 of the locking ring 268, the flange 272 is fullyinserted into the first longer slot 280. A lower surface 286 of thelocking ring 268 may have locking tabs 288 and biasing tabs 290, asshown in FIG. 26. Preferably, as shown in FIG. 26, opposed apertures 278may have the locking tabs 288 attached to a periphery of the firstlonger slot 280. Also, the second set of opposed apertures 278 may havethe biasing tabs 290 which urge the flanges 272 from the first slot 280to the second slot 292.

After the flanges 272 are fully inserted into the first slot 280 of theaperture 278, the biasing tabs 290 and locking tabs 288 are flexedupwardly. The female member 224 may be subsequently rotated so as toalign the flange 272 to a second smaller slot 292 (see FIG. 26) via thebiasing tabs 290 or by physically rotating the female member 224. Atthis position, the locking ring 268 is received into notches 276. Also,the female member 224 may not be lifted out of the locking ring 268.Moreover, the locking tabs 288 flex forward (see FIG. 29) so as toprevent the flange 272 from being re-alignable to the first longer slot280. More particularly, the biasing tab 290 may be attached to thelocking ring 268 at a periphery of the first slot 280. When the femalemember 224 is fully engaged to the locking ring 268 and the flanges 272are aligned to the second slot 292, the female member 224 may be squaredto the front post 20 and the infant seat 10.

Referring now to FIGS. 30-33, a tenth embodiment of removably attachinga tray 294 to a front post 296 of an infant seat 298 is illustrated. Thetray 294, and more particularly, the underside surface 300 (see FIG. 32)of the tray 294 may be attached a male member 302 via any method knownin the art (e.g., adhesive, screws, etc.). A mating female member 304(see FIG. 31) may be fixedly attached to the front post 296 of theinfant seat 298 via any method known in the art or described herein. Themale and female members 302, 304 may have inter locking slots 306 a, band flanges 308 a, b (see FIGS. 31 and 32) such that the tray 294 maynot be lifted upward once the tray 294 is engaged to the front post 296.Additionally, the male and female members 302 and 304 may have matingridges 310 a, b (see FIGS. 31, 32, and 32A) to prevent or resistforward/backward movement of the tray 294 with respect to the front post296. To engage the tray 294 to the front post 296, the flange of 308 bmale member 302 is aligned to the slot 306 a formed by the female member304 and the front post 296. The flange 308 b of the male member 302 isreceived into the slot 306 a of the female member 304 and the tray 294is pushed rearward toward the infant. The ridges 310 b of the malemember 302 may flex upward and engage the ridges 310 a of the femalemember 304. The tray 294 may be positionable in a forward rearwarddirection by engaging the ridges 310 of the male member 302 deeper intothe ridges 310 a of the female member 304. The ridges 310 a of thefemale member 304 push the male member 302 upward, as shown by force 312in FIG. 32A, such that the ridges 310 b of the male member 302 clear theridges of the female member 304when the tray 294 is pushed rearwardly.

Conversely, to remove the tray 294 from the front post 296, the tray 294is urged forward. As the tray 294 is pushed forwardly, the ridges 310 bof the male member 302 slide over the ridges 310 a of the female member304 until the ridges 310 b of the male member 302 entirely or completelydisengage the ridges 310 a of the female member 304. The flange 308 b ofthe male member 302 is removed from the slot 306 a of the female member304, and thus, the tray 294 is removed from the front post 296.

More particularly, as shown in FIG. 30 and 31, the female member 304 andthe front post 296 may form slots 306 a which are opened outwardly. Thefemale member 304 may also include a plurality of ridges 310 ainterposed between the slots 306 a. The ridges 310 a of the femalemember 304 may comprise at least one, and preferably three resistingridges 314 and one enlarged stopping ridge 316. The resisting ridges 314are positioned in front of the stopping ridge 316. When the tray 294 isengaged to the front post 296, the ridges 310 b of the male member 302may slide over the resisting ridges 314. However, when the ridges 310 bof the male member 302 contact the stopping ridge 316, the tray 294stops moving rearwardly because the ridges 310 b of the male member 302may not slide over the stopping ridge 316. Accordingly, the tray 294 maynot be positioned beyond the stopping ridge 316.

The male member 302 may be attached to the underside surface 300 of thetray 294 via any method known in the art. The male member 302 maycomprise a base portion 318 which is attached to the tray 294 and alever 320 pivotable with respect to the base portion 318. The lever 320may be engaged to the base portion 318 with interlocking hooks 322. Whenthe lever 320 is engaged to the base portion 318, the ridges 310 b orthe lever portion 320 is flexed upwardly, as shown by the dashed linesin FIG. 32A. As such, when the ridges 310 b of the male member 302initially contact the ridges 310 a of the female member 304, the ridges310 a of the female member 304 push the ridges 310 b of the male member302 upwardly. As such, the ridges 310 b of the male member 302 may slideover the resisting ridges 314 of the female member 304 until the ridges310 b of the male member 302 contacts the stopping ridge 316.

The lever 320 is flexed upwardly in a bow configuration. The junction324 (see FIG. 32A) of the base portion 318 and the lever 320 may besized and configured so as to have gap 326 between the ridges of themale member 310 b and the base portion 318. Additionally, on theproximal portion of the lever 320, a support member 328 may be formed.The support member 328 may contact the base portion 318 when the lever320 is engaged to the base portion 318. As can be seen in FIG. 32A, thesupport member 328 and the junction 324 between the base portion 318 andthe lever 320 separate the ridges of the male member 310 b from the baseportion 318. The male member 302, and more particularly, the lever 320may be fabricated from a bendable material. As such, when the ridges ofthe female member 310 a push the ridges of the male member 310 b upward,the lever 320 is bowed such that the ridges of the male member 310 b mayclear the ridges of the female resisting ridges 314.

In an aspect of the infant seat 10, the same may be formed with at leastone suction cup 420 (see FIG. 18) for securing the infant seat 10 onto asupport member (e.g., table top). In particular, a bottom surface of theseat rest 14 may extend to the lower distal end 48 of the outerperipheral member 44 of the base 40. The bottom surface may be formedwith a suction cup 420, as shown in FIG. 18. In use, the parent mayplace the infant seat 10 on a smooth table top. The parent pushes downin the direction of arrow “A” (see FIG. 18) on the seat rest 14 whichpushes the suction cup 420 against the smooth table top. The suction cup420 creates a suction force with the table top. In this manner, theinfant seat 10 is securable to a support member such as a table top.

In an aspect of the infant seat 10, a toy 422 may be removablyattachable to the tray 50, as shown in FIGS. 34-37. As shown in FIG. 34,an upper surface 56 of the tray 50 may be formed with at least onedepression 424. Preferably, the upper surface 56 of the tray 50 isformed with two depressions 424. These depressions 424 may have asemi-circular bottom surface and opposing vertical side wall surfaces434 (see FIGS. 34 and 35). Nubs 426 are formed in the vertical opposingside wall surfaces 434 and oriented toward each other. The depressions424 may be formed at a central location of the tray 50, or at any otherconvenient location.

An elongate member 428 may be removably engageable to the tray 50 viathe depressions 424. In particular, the elongate member 428 may have arod like configuration. The elongate member 428 may be bendable andflexible and may also hold its shape once it is bent or shaped. Forexample, the elongate member 428 shown in FIG. 34 may initially beprovided to the parent in a straight configuration. The parent may bendthe elongate member 428 in the W-configuration shown in FIG. 34. Oncethe parent releases the elongate member 428, the elongate member 428 mayretain its shape. The elongate member 428 may have alternating large andsmall diameters throughout the entire length of the elongate member 428.Distal portions of the elongate member 428 may have a post 430 and aretaining ring 432 set back from the distal end of the post 430.

In use, the elongate member 428 may be engaged to the tray 50 via thedepressions 424. In particular, an outer diameter 436 of the elongatemember 428 may be slightly greater than a distance between tips of thenubs 426 formed on opposing vertical side wall surfaces 434 of thedepressions 424. To engage the elongate member 428 to the depressions424, the elongate member 428 is bent, as shown in FIG. 34. A firstportion of the elongate member 428 is pushed into the first depression424. The outer diameter of the elongate member 428 pushes the nubs 426away from each other making room for the elongate member 428 to beinserted into the depression 424 below the nubs 426. Once the elongatemember 428 traverses past the nubs 426, the nubs 426 close in above theelongate member 428 thereby holding the elongate member 428 within thedepression 424. Likewise, a second portion of the elongate member 428 ispushed into the second depression 424 to engage the elongate member 428to the tray 50 in a similar manner that the first portion was pushedinto the first depression 424.

The toy 422 may have apertures 438 which are sized and configured toreceive the post 430 of the elongate member 428. After the elongatemember 428 is attached to the tray 50, the posts 430 are inserted intothe apertures 438 of the toy 422 and further insertion of the post 430into the apertures 438 of the toy 422 is prevented by the retaining ring432.

FIG. 35 illustrates first and second depressions 424 being formed in thetray 50 via inserts 440. The inserts 440 may have an inner surfacehaving the configuration of the depression 424. The inserts 440 areinserted into a receptacle 442 formed in the tray 50. The insert 440 maybe secured or fixedly attached to the tray 50 via any method known inthe art such as sonic welding, adhering and the like.

Alternatively, FIGS. 35 and 36 illustrate a second method of engaging atoy 422 to the tray 50. In particular, the tray 50 may be formed withfirst and second receiving cavities 444. These cavities 444 are formedby inserts 446 having an inverted hat configuration. The cavities 444are sized and configured to receive (i.e., frictionally engage) the post430 of the elongate member 428. As such, the elongate member 428 may bebent or configured or shaped into the configuration as shown in FIG. 36.The posts 430 of the elongate member 428 are inserted into the receivingcavities 444 of the inserts 440 shown in FIG. 34. Small toys 422 may beslid through the elongate member 428 prior to engaging the elongatemember 428 to the tray 50.

The toy 422 may also be removably attachable to the upper surface 56 ofthe tray 50 via a suction cup 448, as shown in FIG. 37. In particular,as shown in FIG. 37, a suction cup 448 may be formed with one depression424. The depression 424 may be sized and configured to receive andsecure the elongate member 428 to the suction cup 448. The elongatemember 428 may be shaped as shown in FIG. 37. A toy 422 with apertures438 may subsequently be attached to the elongate member 428 by insertingthe posts 430 of the elongate member 428 in the apertures 438 of the toy422. The suction cup 448 may be removably engageable to the uppersurface 56 of the tray 50 during use of the infant seat 10.

In an aspect of the infant seat 10, it is contemplated that the tray 50or pommel 52 may be removably engageable to the front post 20 via any ofthe embodiments discussed herein. By way of example and not limitation,although the third embodiment illustrates a pommel 52 being removablyengageable to the front post 20, it is also contemplated the tray 50 maybe removably engageable to the front post 20 via the same methoddisclosed in the third embodiment.

In another aspect, it is also contemplated that the infant seat may beremovably engageable to both the tray and/or pommel. For example, asshown in FIGS. 12-16 illustrating the fifth embodiment, a male member150 fixedly attached to the pommel 154 may be inserted into the femalemember 152 and engaged thereto by twisting the pommel 154, the pommel154 may be engaged or removed from the front post 20. Also, as shown inFIGS. 13 and 15, the female member 152, and more particularly, the uppersurface of the female member 152 is formed with the first and secondrows of toothed slots 71 as described in FIGS. 2-6 illustrating thefirst embodiment. In this regard, the tray 50 illustrated in the firstembodiment may be removably attachable to the front post 20 via the malemember 60 illustrated in relation to the first embodiment, as shown inFIG. 5. Accordingly, it is contemplated that the infant seat 10 may beprovided to a parent or user as a kit. The kit may comprise the infantseat 10 itself, the tray 50 which is removably attachable with the maleand female members 60, 62 shown in the first embodiment and/or a pommel154 which is removably engageable to the front post 20 via the male andfemale member 150, 152 as shown in the fifth embodiment. It iscontemplated that the pommel 154 and tray 50 may be removably engageableto the front post 20 via any of the methods disclosed herein. As such,the same male and female members 150, 152 may be respectively engaged tothe pommel/tray 154, 50 and front post 20 so as to make the pommel/tray154, 50 removably engageable to the front post 20.

In the various embodiments of the infant seat discussed above, referencemay have been made that the tray or pommel when attached to the frontpost prevents the infant from being removed from the infant seat orprevents the infant from lifting himself or herself out of the infantseat. However, such condition is not required. Rather, when the tray orpommel is attached to the front post, it may be more difficult to removethe infant from the infant seat or the infant may have more difficultyin lifting himself or herself out of the infant seat.

Additionally, the above discussion of the infant seat referenced partsrotating in the counter clockwise or clockwise direction. However, therotating direction of the parts was made for convenience and is not arequirement. The rotation of the parts may be reversed. By way ofexample and not limitation, FIG. 22 b illustrates a user rotating thepommel in a counter clockwise direction to remove the pommel from thefront post of the infant seat. It is contemplated that the front postand the pommel structure may be reversed such that pommel is removedfrom the front post by rotating the pommel in the clockwise direction.

Moreover, the above discussion of the infant seat discussed certainparts as being molded to the infant seat. However, such condition isalso not required. Rather, the parts may be attached to the infant seatin any manner discussed herein or known in the art. By way of exampleand not limitation, FIG. 23 illustrates the male member as being moldedinto the pommel and the female member molded into the front post.However, it is also contemplated that the male member and female membermay be attached to the pommel and front post via glue or any othermethod known in the art or any method discussed herein.

The above description is given by way of example, and not limitation.Given the above disclosure, one skilled in the art could devisevariations that are within the scope and spirit of the inventiondisclosed herein. Further, the various features of the embodimentsdisclosed herein can be used alone, or in varying combinations with eachother and are not intended to be limited to the specific combinationdescribed herein. Thus, the scope of the claims is not to be limited bythe illustrated embodiments.

1. An infant seat for retaining an infant in the infant seat at a seatedposition, the infant seat comprising: a seat rest for receiving buttocksof the infant; a back rest attached to a rear portion of the seat restfor receiving a back of the infant; left and right side supportsattached to left and right sides of the seat rest and attached tolateral sides of the back rest; a front post attached to a front portionof the seat rest, the front post and the left and right side supportsdefining grooves; and a tray removeably attachable solely to the frontpost, the tray extendable laterally over the grooves for blocking thelegs of the infant.
 2. The infant seat of claim 1 further comprisingmeans for removeably attaching the tray to the front post.
 3. The infantseat of claim 2 further comprising a pommel removeably attachable to thefront post, the pommel extendable laterally over the grooves forblocking the legs of the infant.
 4. The infant seat of claim 3 furthercomprising means for removeably attaching the pommel to the front postsuch that tray or the pommel may be attached to the front post.
 5. Theinfant seat of claim 1 wherein the tray extends over the two sidesupports.
 6. The infant seat of claim 1 further comprising: a malemember comprising: a first flange attached to the tray; and a levertraverseable between a release position and an engaged position, thelever having at least one tooth; and a female member comprising: asecond flange attached to the front post, the second flange and frontpost defining a slot for receiving the first flange; and at least onetoothed slot for engagement with the tooth of the lever.
 7. The infantseat of claim 1 further comprising: a male member attached to the tray,the male member comprising: levers having pawls, the levers beingtraverseable between a release position and a depressed position; afemale member attached to the front post, the female member having a camsurface for receiving the pawl to attach the tray to the front post. 8.The infant seat of claim 1 further comprising: a male member attached tothe tray, the male member having a post with a radially extending tab; afemale member attached to the front post, the female member having a Jconfigured slot of receiving the tab; a spring disposed between the malemember and female member for biasing the male member away from thefemale member.
 9. The infant seat of claim 1 further comprising: a malemember attached to the tray, the male member having vertically orientedflanges, at least one of the flanges having a notch; a female memberattached to the front post, the female member having a cam surface witha notch; wherein the flange is insertable into the notch of the camsurface, and the cam surface is receivable into the notch of the flangefor attaching the tray to the front post.
 10. The infant seat of claim 1further comprising: a male member attached to the tray, the male memberhaving a bulbous configuration; wherein the front post has a cavitysized and configured to receive the bulbous configured male member. 11.The infant seat of claim 1 further comprising: a male member attached tothe tray, the male member having a tapered configuration; wherein thefront post has a cavity sized and configured to frictionally receive thetaper configured male member.
 12. The infant seat of claim 1 furthercomprising: a male member attached to the tray, the male member having acam surface; a latch attached to the front post, the latch traverseablebetween a depressed position and an engaged position, at the depressedposition, the latch clears the cam surface of the male member, at theengaged position, the latch engages the cam surface so as to secure thetray to the front post.
 13. The infant seat of claim 1 furthercomprising: a male member attached to the tray, the male member havingan inwardly displaceable tang; a female member attached to the frontpost, the female member having an aperture sized and configured toreceive and engage the tang of the male member.
 14. The infant seat ofclaim 1 further comprising: a male member attached to the tray, the malemember having a plurality of ridges; a female member attached to thefront post, the female member having a plurality of ridges sized andconfigured to mate with the ridges of the male member.
 15. The infantseat of claim 1 further comprising a toy removeably attachable to thetray.
 16. The infant seat of claim 15 wherein the toy is removeablyattachable to the tray with an elongate member snappable into adepression formed in an upper surface of the tray.
 16. The infant seatof claim 15 wherein the toy is removeably attachable to the tray via asuction cup.
 17. An infant seat for retaining an infant in the infantseat at a seated position, the infant seat comprising: a seat rest forreceiving buttocks of the infant; a back rest attached to a rear portionof the seat rest for receiving a back of the infant; left and right sidesupports attached to left and right sides of the seat rest and attachedto lateral sides of the back rest; a front post attached to a frontportion of the seat rest, the front post and the left and right sidesupports defining grooves; a pommel removeably attachable solely to thefront post, the tray extending laterally over the grooves for blockingthe legs of the infant.
 18. The infant seat of claim 17 furthercomprising means for removeably attaching the pommel to the front post.19. The infant seat of claim 17 wherein the pommel extends over the twoside supports.
 20. The infant seat of claim 17 further comprising: amale member comprising: a first flange attached to the pommel; and alever traverseable between a release position and an engaged-position,the lever having at least one tooth; and a female member comprising: asecond flange attached to the front post, the second flange and frontpost defining a slot for receiving the first flange; and at least onetoothed slot for engagement with the tooth of the lever.
 21. The infantseat of claim 17 further comprising: a male member attached to thepommel, the male member comprising: levers having pawls, the leversbeing traverseable between a release position and a depressed position;a female member attached to the front post, the female member having acam surface for receiving the pawl to attach the pommel to the frontpost.
 22. The infant seat of claim 17 further comprising: a male memberattached to the pommel, the male member having a post with a radiallyextending tab; a female member attached to the front post, the femalemember having a J configured slot of receiving the tab; a springdisposed between the male member and female member for biasing the malemember away from the female member.
 23. The infant seat of claim 17further comprising: a male member attached to the pommel, the malemember having vertically oriented flanges, at least one of the flangeshaving a notch; a female member attached to the front post, the femalemember having a cam surface with a notch; wherein the flange isinsertable into the notch of the cam surface, and the cam surface isreceivable into the notch of the flange for attaching the pommel to thefront post.
 24. The infant seat of claim 17 further comprising: a malemember attached to the pommel, the male member having a bulbousconfiguration; wherein the front post has a cavity sized and configuredto receive the bulbous configured male member.
 25. The infant seat ofclaim 17 further comprising: a male member attached to the pommel, themale member having a tapered configuration; wherein the front post has acavity sized and configured to frictionally receive the taper configuredmale member.
 26. The infant seat of claim 17 further comprising: a malemember attached to the pommel, the male member having a cam surface; alatch attached to the front post, the latch traverseable between andepressed position and an engaged position, at the depressed position,the latch clears the cam surface of the male member, at the engagedposition, the latch engages the cam surface so as to secure the pommelto the front post.
 27. The infant seat of claim 17 further comprising: amale member attached to the pommel, the male member having an inwardlydisplaceable tang; a female member attached to the front post, thefemale member having an aperture sized and configured to receive andengage the tang of the male member.
 28. The infant seat of claim 27wherein the tang has a hook and the female member has a protrusion, thehook being removeably engageable to the protrusion of the female member.29. The infant seat of claim 28 wherein the protrusion has a beveledsurface for inwardly displacing the tang as the tang is being insertedinto the aperture of the female member.
 30. The infant seat of claim 29wherein the male member has a slotted portion adjacent to the hook suchthat the protrusion may be traversed therethrough to disengage thepommel from the front post.
 31. The infant seat of claim 17 furthercomprising: a male member attached to the pommel, the male member havinga plurality of ridges; a female member attached to the front post, thefemale member having a plurality of ridges sized and configured to matewith the ridges of the male member.